Te Huia child fares will halve and the service will add a Pukekohe station stop from 30 September as part of a suite of changes to the train service by Waikato Regional Council.
During its August meeting, regional councillors considered the findings of an independent review of Te Huia, carried out to both reduce operating costs and increase revenue as a means of improving farebox recovery and reducing subsidy from taxpayers and ratepayers.
The preferred option recommended by the Future Proof Public Transport Subcommittee was to implement full fares for SuperGold passengers on the two peak time services Monday to Friday and introduce a 50% fare for children aged 5 to 15 years.
The subcommittee also supported Te Huia calling at Pukekohe station (pictured) to pick up and drop off passengers.
In a unanimous vote, the changes were approved by councillors to take effect from Monday, 30 September, coinciding with the school holidays.
“Central government has sent a clear message that the reliance on taxpayer funding must lessen,” said Council Chair Pamela Storey.
“It’s also important we look at ways to reduce the burden on our ratepayers. This has meant a necessary look at ways we can increase fare revenue.
“During consultation on our long term plan, we received a number of submissions which indicated there was a proportion of SuperGold cardholders willing to pay to travel at peak times on Te Huia.
“While there is the potential that some older travellers might be discouraged from travelling at all, projections suggest passenger numbers and fare revenue will continue to go up,” she said.
The first seven months of 2024 have seen healthy total passenger numbers on Te Huia – 51,371 compared with 69,379 over the whole of 2023. Of those, 18% were SuperGold card holder on the two peak hour services and currently travelling for free; 3% of all passengers were children.
“While children make up only a small proportion of Te Huia passengers, reducing child fares will ensure travel during the school holidays, in particular, remains affordable for families and continues to be a popular activity,” Cr Storey said.
The SuperGold concession will continue to apply all day every day on the council’s BUSIT services.
